“Stop talking like that. Get across there, otherwise I’m staying here with you”.
“Just leave me. You don’t even like me!”
“Now when have I ever said that? Sure you’re a meddling, miserable, sour tongued old bat, but that has never given me cause to dislike you. I’ve never had anything but admiration for you, even if I’ve had a hard time appreciating you”.
Martha, for the first time since he met her was lost for words.
“Now are you going to do this or am I going to have to lift you up and attempt to throw you across? One of those two things will happen, mark my words”.
Martha turned towards the balcony railings and took a deep breath.
“I’m only doing this because of your threat, I’m more likely to die being flung. Not because you charmed me with a half baked compliment”, she retorted and attempted to climb the railing, “ hold me, don’t let me fall”.
“I won’t, I promise”, he replied, all the while, the slams at the door only worryingly increasing.
Martha stumbled slightly on the wet railings, which sent her into a state of panic induced aggression.
“Edward, for fuck sake! You’re going to kill me! Hold me properly!”
“I am!” He snapped back.
The cabin door hinges snapped; they had mere seconds left to work with.
“Martha, I don’t mean to rush you, but we really don’t have long left, you have to jump now!”
“I’m not ready, I’m not stable enough to jump”, she replied, looking down at the open ferocious ocean and making herself dizzy with terror.
“Martha, you are as stable as you are ever going to be, jump now!”.
“Okay”, she replied psyching herself up, “on the count of three”.
“No! Now!” Edward snapped and with every bit of strength at his disposal, he thrust her towards the other balcony. She screamed and flailed her arms, fumbling for the opposite railing. She managed to make it, or at least the upper half of her body, but it was more than enough for her to hoist her legs up and over.
Hyperventilating, she lay over there for a second before standing.
“Martha? Are you okay?”
“Do I fucking look okay?” She snapped, turning to him.
“As a matter of fact, you do”.
“Fucking imbecile, that was dangerous! I could have fallen to my death!”
“How unfortunate!” Edward shouted back, but as he had begun to climb the railing rail, the door to the cabin flew open, completely snapping the hinges off and knocking the drawer over, sending it tumbling to the side.
In came a man, sniffing the air and twitching erratically. His clothes were stained in blood, though whether it belonged to him or someone else, Edward didn’t want to find out.
“Martha! The door is open! Run inside and hide!” Edward ordered and that was the very first instruction Martha ever listened to.
“There you are! Why didn’t you open the door? I was so lonely!” The man shrieked, spotting Edward. Edward clambered up onto the railing and just as he was about to make the jump of his life, the man grabbed his leg and Edward slipped, almost falling into the ocean. He just about managed to grab the railing as he hung perilously from the outside of the balcony railings. He almost had a heart attack, but the fight for his life was far from over.
“Come back here, don’t be ridiculous, I only wanted directions, won’t you be my guide”, the man proclaimed, tugging at him.
“Get the fuck off of me you lunatic!” Edward snapped, pulling himself free. One false move and he’d fall into the ocean below.
“Why so brash? I only wanted fucking directions!” He lunged towards Edward in an attempt to bite him, with a look in his eyes that abandoned all connection to the real world. Edward didn’t know what drugs this man was on, but his state of psychosis was unlike anything he had ever encountered. Realising that this man intended to harm him was more than enough incentive for Edward to fight back. Even hanging perilously over the ocean on the outside of a balcony, he was prepared to fight back, punching and pulling away from the crazy man trying to bite him.
One perfect punch to the face and the lunatic released him just long enough for Edward to try and climb back onto the balcony, but the man wasn’t done yet. Without any regard for his life, he charged at Edward, toppling them both over the edge. Edward lost grip, only managing to grab the bottom of the balcony with one flailing arm, as the man flew overhead and down into the ocean. Edward, now clinging on for dear life, could barely stretch the other arm back up to hoist himself back up, but just below was the lower balcony, if he could just swing his body just a little, he could probably make it.
His arm already in agony and slipping, he attempted to swing towards the lower balcony, his feet just skimming the railings, before attempting once more as he lost his grip of the balcony above and prayed for the best. He toppled down onto the railing hitting his upper thigh, back and elbow against it, before landing on the balcony aching and in pain from the fall, but at least alive. He stood up and looked up towards the balcony he had fallen from, before peering over the edge into the rough oceans where his assailant had fallen and he too could also have.
That was a close call. His heart was pounding and he still couldn’t believe that he had experienced all that just now, the shock of it overwhelmed him. Just who the hell was that man and what did he want from them?
He already hated boats and this entire trip was so far doing nothing to alleviate that;
